What is the story mainly about?

A stranger takes trouble to return something important, and asks for nothing. (Hugo makes nine calls, meets Salla, and refuses money. The story is about the effort he makes for a stranger.)

How did Hugo find Salla?

He guessed the last digit of a pencilled phone number and called until she answered. (The second paragraph says the number was half rubbed away, so he guessed the last digit and tried nine numbers before she answered.)

Why does Salla go quiet when Hugo says the words "white paper"?

Those words prove he really has her dress, and she is flooded with relief. (She had spent the afternoon crying over the lost dress. Only someone holding the bag would know it was folded in white paper, so his words prove the dress is safe.)

The Other Suitcase: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

Q: In "they met at the train station the next morning and traded bags," traded means:

gave each other the bag that belonged to the other person (Each of them had the other's suitcase, so trading means exchanging them so each got the right one back.)

Hugo took the wrong suitcase from the airport belt. Both were grey. Both had a red ribbon on the handle. He noticed only when he opened it in his hotel room and found a wedding dress, folded in white paper.

There was no name tag. There was a phone number written inside the lid, in pencil, half rubbed away. Hugo copied the digits and guessed the last one. He tried nine numbers before a woman answered.

Her name was Salla. She was getting married on Saturday, in a town two hours north, and she had spent the whole afternoon crying in a taxi. When Hugo said the words "white paper," she went quiet for a long moment. They met at the train station the next morning and traded bags. Salla tried to give him money. Hugo refused. He asked instead for a photograph after the wedding, so that he could see the dress on the right person.

Three weeks later, a small envelope reached his office. There was no letter inside, only a picture. Salla was laughing. The red ribbon from the suitcase was tied around her wrist.

Comprehension questions